The “Mindful Researchers” initiative emerged in August 2020, by a collaboration of participants in the ESRI 2020 hosted by Mind & Life Europe. We are an independent grassroots community based on a shared intention –

to explore how our professional and research life can be integrated with our contemplative life, in all its possible meanings.

Being aware that this is a difficult path to follow within traditional academia, we aim to offer support to each other, to hold this inquiry as a living question and to put it into practice together

We aim to cultivate a space for collective inquiry, shared practice, and collaborative projects – an ecosystem or ‘living lab’ supporting the emergence of a new generation of researchers who pursue and co-create innovative and rigorous scientific/academic work rooted in genuine embodied, situated, contemplative practice.

In this way, we also intend to support and foster a beneficial transformation towards a more compassionate, generous, kind, collaborative, ethical academic culture.

Who are we?

The “Mindful Researchers” are mostly young or early-stage professionals, largely but not exclusively academics, who wish to live and work in an environment that welcomes our passionate interests and supports our preference for contemplative / phenomenological, participatory and exploratory approaches.

We envision collaborative ways of science which emphasise co-created projects, including the process of discovering what (research) questions we consider as most important to address.

The “gardeners” team

The “gardeners” are a more active sub-group of our community that meets on a weekly basis in order to practice together, listen to the community’s emerging needs and ideas, co-facilitate our community events, co-create new formats, and develop the Mindful Researchers project and community further.

Currently and formerly active “gardeners” include:

  • Annika Lübbert
  • Dara James
  • Enrico Fucci
  • Francesco Noera
  • Mary Rees
  • Nikola Winter
  • Willeke Rietdijk
  • Wolfgang Lukas

Our doors are open – please let us know if you’d like to join and co-create with us!

Acknowledgments

We are grateful to the Yoga Science Foundation and Mind & Life Europe for funding, mentoring and other support.

We also thank the Mind & Life Institute, as well as many individuals who have inspired and supported our development in various ways.